Thousands of Volkswagen workers in Germany went on strike on Monday after the company announced plans to close three plants and slash pensions.
“Warning strikes will begin Monday in all plants,” said Thorsten Gröger, who is leading with German auto giant.
“If necessary, this will be the toughest wage dispute has ever seen.”
Tens of thousands of employees with the IG Metall union stopped work at 9:30 a.m. The strike is set to last two hours, a process which will be repeated by the late shift. Gröger and workers’ council leader Daniela Cavallo are expected to address the crowd outside the company’s flagship plant in Wolfsburg.
The move is a response to €18 billion ($19 billion) in budget cuts at , which includes major changes to its generous pension plan and an unprecedented within Germany.
Gröger charged that “Volkswagen has set fire to our collective bargaining agreements” and that the company board is now “throwing open petrol drums into it.”
“What follows now is the conflict that Volkswagen brought about — we did not want it, but we will conduct it as committedly as necessary!”
Sluggish economy
The issues at Volkswagen highlight the struggles facing the eurozone’s economic powerhouse.
Germany’s export-heavy economy has been suffering in recent years due to declining industrial orders.
VW, for example, has seen its once-lucrative rapidly shrinking as domestically produced electric vehicles become more popular there. Moreover, looming have prompted fears of retaliatory measures.
In October, VW reported in third-quarter profits. Other German automakers, such as and , have also reported major losses.
es/zc (AFP, dpa)
The post Volkswagen workers strike at factories across Germany appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
